Over a thousand anti-government protesters gathered in front of Macedonian Parliament in capital Skopje to decry the president’s amnesty for officials accused of fraud and corruption. Reports say they were trying to tear through police cordon and storm the building.

Pictures posted on Twitter also show protesters spraying paint over the sidewalks in front of the parliament, as some of them call the current unrest a new ‘color revolution.’

Demonstrators organized a stage at the square in front of the Parliament where activists are expected to deliver speeches, with Macedonian patriotic songs resonating from the speakers, MKD News reports.

The protesters demanded that President Gjorge Ivanov reverse his decision to pardon the figures accused of crimes against the state. The pardoned officials’ charges include election violations, wiretapping and illegal business deals.

Meanwhile, a source in the European Union, who requested anonymity, told Reuters news agency the EU is ready to consider the possibility of introducing sanctions against the Macedonian politicians, who, in his words, are unable to properly deal with the political crisis in the country.

“We are extremely concerned about the short-sightedness of the current [Macedonian] government. The EU is ready to consider [the possibility] of sanctions against politicians who impede on resolving the crisis. Macedonia is moving along the path of international isolation,” the source is cited by Reuters as saying.